DOVER, N.H. (AP) — An Indonesian immigrant held for more than seven months by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in New Hampshire has been released.
Etty Tham, of Portsmouth, was detained last spring at an immigration checkpoint on Interstate 93 near Lincoln. She had been held at the Strafford County House of Corrections since June.
Tham entered the U.S. in 2000 or 2001 and overstayed a tourist visa. A petition for asylum was denied.
She told Foster’s Daily Democrat on Friday when she was released, “I’m very happy. I’m going to see my family. I miss my family.”
Tham has two grown daughters and has two grandchildren. Earlier this month, she lawsuit in U.S. District Court, asking for a review of the “legality and reasonableness” of her federal custody and “civil, non-criminal detention.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)